1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a consumables storage container, an image forming apparatus, a process cartridge, and a service controlling system capable of precisely detecting unsealing of a seal that seals an opening of the consumables storage container at low cost without employing a large-scale mechanism while providing precise customer service control.
2. Description of the Background Art
In the past, an image forming apparatus employing an electrophotographic system, such as a copier, a printer, etc., includes a consumables storage container for containing consumables, such as toner, etc. Such a consumables storage container generally includes an opening for supplying and ejecting the consumables there from to a developing section, and is sealed by a seal when consumables storage container is stored with the consumables and is transported to a prescribed destination to avoid leakage thereof. A user then removes the seal when installing the consumables storage container in a body of the image forming apparatus. Such a consumables storage container is sometimes integrated with a developer container generally separately prepared into a single unit. Further, a developing device equipped with a consumables storage container and a developer container sometimes constitutes a process cartridge together with a photoconductive member serving as an image bearer, which is removably installed in the image forming apparatus. As described in Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2006-178280 (JP-2006-178280-A), a process cartridge with an opening formed therein for supplying consumables from a consumables storage container to a developer section and sealed with a seal it is known, in which a fresh new process cartridge is unsealed when the process cartridge is installed in the image forming apparatus.
However, when such a conventional process cartridge is installed with the opening still sealed, the image forming apparatus cannot operate properly. Accordingly, a manner of precisely detecting removal of the seal at low cost has long been sought. However, when a user removes a seal after installing the consumables storage container to the image forming apparatus, a large-scale mechanical parts system is needed to automatically unseal the opening in the image forming apparatus. Such a large-scale mechanical assembly is not cost-effective in view of its single function of detecting the unsealing of the seal. Consequently, a technology capable of accurately detecting unsealing of the seal at low cost while maintaining precise customer service control is demanded.
Further, to accurately and precisely detect automatic unsealing of the seal at low cost, and to detect if a developer container with its opening being sealed is new or not, Japanese Patent No. 3083091 (JP-3083091-B) describes a developer container that is removably installed in a body of the image forming apparatus, containing developer with its opening sealed with a seal. Specifically, there are provided a seal base sealing the opening, a force reception section receiving an unsealing force applied to the seal base, and an electrically conductive section cut off by an action of unsealing the seal base. Further, to detect in an image forming apparatus if the conductive section is cut off or not, a contact point is provided in the conductive section to electrically connect with a contact point provided in the body of the image forming apparatus. Further disposed are a developing device employing the developer container with its opening being sealed, a process cartridge, and an image forming apparatus to which the developer container is removably installed.
However, JP-3083091-B again cannot offer precise customer service control and improved services at low cost.